In our line of work, myths can be more dangerous than mistakes. They slow progress, fuel … 4 AI Myths Holding Claims Teams BackRead more
Process
A Claims Tale Of Three Little Managers And Their Review Programs
We have all head the story of the 3 little pigs but have you heard of the 3 claims managers? The Manager of Straw, the Manager of Sticks and the Manager of Bricks are all motivated to do the right thing but they go about it in very different ways. One had no program in place to review their operation, one had a basic process in place and one used a detailed program to review claims. Read on this story and see how problems occur and are managed differently.
What Would Steve Jobs Do In A Claims Organization?
So what would Steve Jobs say about our claims industry? Well, having heard about his reputation I think I will leave what he would say out of this post. Regardless, I think Mr. Jobs would see an industry with tremendous opportunities to innovate and improve the way they deliver and manage claims services. In our most recent post, we explore a claims world in as it may be in the world of a master of product design and marketing.
“Summer’s Here And I’m For That” With 2 Ideas To Improve Your Claims Operations
It’s another summer and it can be a slow time for many. Don’t waste the opportunity of a slow time period to improve your operation. In our latest post, we suggest 2 ways to make your claims organization better. First we write about developing a better claim review process and create a value added claims auditing process that goes beyond crossing the “T”. Second, conduct a worklow audit and you will find hours of wasted time for those working even the most basic tools such as Excel or Outlook.
Commentary: Claims Departments Are Facing A Crisis And Have To Learn To Encourage Innovation
I’m fed up and I’m not going to take it any more. OK maybe that is an extreme statement but it is time for the industry to face facts. Talent is diminishing and the need to change the claims process is now. So we have heard this before, regardless, the “we have always done it that way mentality” is not helping. In our latest post I comment on the need for change in the industry.
Getting Creative And Reducing Claim Costs Without Sacrificing Quality – Part II
Last month, Suzanne Ganier discussed the building blocks needed to reduce claim and litigation costs, while still maintaining a strong focus on quality. Those building blocks included:
* collecting current data about your claims and litigation
* evaluating the claim and litigation work itself
* settling on a carrier claim and litigation handling philosophy
In her follow up, Suzanne discusses how these building blocks create a foundation on which to build new processes and procedures that will reduce your claim and litigation costs, and maybe even decrease you volume as well. I refer this building process as looking at What I Have, What I Want, and What I See.
There Is No Such Thing As A Pro Forma Signature On A Document – If You Sign It You Own It
Doing things for the sake of doing things can have significant adverse consequences for an organization. It is important to realize that one day you may have to answer for every action you take on a claim file. The concept of how doing a pro forma task can come back to bite you is being highlighted as a yet another fallout of the mortgage crisis. Tens of thousands of foreclosures are being halted because of a process in place where an individual just signed hundreds of documents without ensuring the information contained on the documents were correct.
Clearly, doing something for the sake of doing something can really have negative consequences for the organization. In our latest post we offer questions to ask when signing documents. Controls are important, however, if they are not adding value they should be reviewed.
3 Suggestions To Beat The Summer Slow Down In Claims (If You Do Slow Down)
It’s summer time and the living is easy!
Take advantage of the summer slow down and make changes, clean things up and improve your operation. In the latest post from the Claims SPOT see three suggestions for ways to use your summer effectively. One for the manager, one for the claims handler and one for the claims executive, suggestions to use the slow down to improve your operation. Take a look and suggest others – we would love to hear from you.
In Claims Don’t Let The Process “Thing” Get In The Way Of Doing The “Right” Thing
Making a check in the process won’t ensure the matter is done right. I have written, and am a big proponent of, the importance of good process as a way to ensure good results. Putting a proper process in place is a road-map to help move claims to a prompt fair resolution. Nonetheless, doing and focusing on the process without making sure the outcome is sound is doing things right without doing the right thing. It’s so easy in claims to focus on the process and not use the process as a means to the end
3 Essential Report Types That Insurance Executives Should Use To Analyze Their Claims
Today’s modern claims systems have a wealth of knowledge about every aspect of claims operations. With the right reports it should be easy to get a basic snapshot of how effective your claims are being managed, and how well your business is doing. With all that information where is one to start? What are the key metrics that should be reviewed by claims and business executives to better understand their operations? We give three specific report types that claims executives should review on a regular basis to get a valuable snapshot of their organization.